pheatons3 Posted December 27, 2004 Share Posted December 27, 2004 Hi, I have an early XE engine which is about to be fitted into my SE Westfield.(1600 X/Flow out XE in) Engine has not been run for a few years (ok 4!, and before someone asks, it does turn over. Before I fit it, I want to have it "re-conditioned". I have been to a couple of places locally (Edinburgh) who will carryout the machining work but getting estimates for the cost is like pulling hens teeth. When asked "How Much?" the answers range from "How longs a piece of string" to "We'll need to strip it down and quote!" If any of you have had your XE re build recently and can give some guidance on what the following would cost then I will be able to compare and make sure I don't get ripped off! Anyone used "West of Scotland Engineering" in Sighthill Edinburgh? The guys there seem very OK and know the XE well. (They are racing Nova's with XEs). Any other recommendations in the Edinburgh/Fife area? 1) Crankshaft reground and new shells 2) Crankshaft balanced 3) Rods Balanced 4) Cylinder rebore 5) New value guides 6) Value seats recut 7) anything else you can think of. Once this work is done I am planning to purchase either the SBD TP208 or TP225 kits. Anyone want to comment or had experience of these kits? My original plan was for over 200BHP for under £3,500 which is driveable on the road but can keep up with the Scoobydoos at Knockhill!! I welcome any advice or guidance on the topic! Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Everall Posted December 27, 2004 Share Posted December 27, 2004 I have exactly what you want for sale and just taken out of my car. Could save you a lot of time and money.The engine history is well known and produces tremendous power. I dont think a Scooby or mch else could keep up at Knockhill cos they dont at other places like Cadwell Park, Oulton Park !. Please ring me to discuss See the ad in "For Sale" dated 30/11/04 and I am prepared to negotiate on pric especially if you want engine, throttle bodies and DTA management Terry 07767836234 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted December 27, 2004 Share Posted December 27, 2004 Is 1 necessary? *Only* get it reground if it's necessary, and NOT as a matter of course... Same for valve seats... With the crank and rods out, balancing should be cheap-ish, although I guess from what you say that you may not be doing any of the rest of the work yourself? Re-bore? If it *needs* doing, then go for a 2.1 or 2.2 rebore amd save yourself the aggro when you want more power... If it just needs a light hone and some rings, then do that... If you are doing everything but the specialist machining work yourself, then you might just get it done for under 3.5K. If ALL the work is being done by a tuning shop and you're buying a complete kit of bits from SBD and handing it over to your tuners for fitting, then I reckon you'll be lucky to see any change from 5 grand... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pheatons3 Posted December 27, 2004 Author Share Posted December 27, 2004 Hi, Plan to do rebuild myself, I've build a couple of X/Flows and 1 pinto, but never had any machining done before. Rebuilds were to change the cams and get more power out of them. Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leon B Posted December 27, 2004 Share Posted December 27, 2004 Ive recently rebuilt my XE and trust me, the list grows quite easily. On top of what you've listed: - set of rings - new water pump - new oil pump - big end and main bearings - You might want the flywheel lightened and balanced If i was you Id go for Terry's engine, its been tried and tested and will be a lot less hassle for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arm Posted December 27, 2004 Share Posted December 27, 2004 If you end up doing the items you have listed then you need to budget circa £750 in bits and machining and a big chunk more if you pay someone to assemble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark.anson Posted December 27, 2004 Share Posted December 27, 2004 Yep, I costed out the cost of a full rebuild recently and depending in spec you will struggle to do it for less than £3000. Thats a minimum as blatters says it could easily get to £5000 withn labour costs. Ring Terry if I were you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Jr Posted December 27, 2004 Share Posted December 27, 2004 On the subject of 208 kits, I have one. Delighted with it, runs great right out of the box, loads lett hassle than carbs, but I recon that by the time it was fitted, with hoses, swirl pot and all the bits and bobs you dont get in the kit, it was about £3K... As for rebuilding an "old" XE, remember that the 208 kit works on a standard unit (with SBD exhaust. If I were you and you wernt doing serious tuning at the same time, I;'d go for a running XE, theres still a few around, and wouldnt bother with a recon. If you want serious power and highr tune then as has been suggested earlier, Terrys setup sounds ideal and will have had all the little niggles ironed out by now Just my thoughts Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisF Posted December 27, 2004 Share Posted December 27, 2004 I'm doing a Vx conversion at the moment, it will be running on carbs with a dizzy and I've hit well over £3.5k already...that's doing it all myself, with a little help from my friends. That does include the engine..a 60,000 mile runner that needed minimal internal work. I opted for the SBD manifold and titanium exhaust which is nearly £1K on it's own With an SBD bellhousing, paddle clutch, lightened flywheel, SBD low line sump, plumbing, water pump etc etc etc I reckon that Blatters is correct £5K is more realistic if you want the full 208 kit...etc etc If your budget is fixed it might be a wise move to talk to Terry about what he has on offer and for how much Having stated all of the above it is still MHO that the Vx is the way to go....and will be worth the outlay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bronco Jr Posted December 27, 2004 Share Posted December 27, 2004 At the risk of starting the age old Vx vrs?? debate..... I would say that the VX XE engine is fan-bl****-tastic. Mine replaced the original crossflow and transformed the car no end, and I do mean transformed. It made the westfield the car I always wanted Yoko A041's finished the package and I now have a car that I'm happy with..... I'll do more but the gains per £ will never match that jump from Xflow to XE Take the advice, its all good, pick you way of doing it, but get it done! Happy upgrades Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisF Posted December 27, 2004 Share Posted December 27, 2004 The can is well and truely opened....the worms are on the move Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cidersurfer Posted December 27, 2004 Share Posted December 27, 2004 Hi Paul I'll list my recent Xflow to XE experiences... Bought C20XE for £250... it needed work... Crank regrind £6.95 + VAT per journal = £73.50 New Shells, mains and big ends in lead indium, oversize to suit crank = £145.70 (You can get these cheaper, these were recommended as being superior by my engine machine shop) Full balance = £120 (Crank, rods, flywheel, clutch cover, etc) Rebore and Plateau Hone = £100 included cleaning (acid bath and jet wash) and new core plugs. Xflow to XE install with all the necessary other bits is approaching £3300 at the mo, that's using Megasquirt and GSXR throttle bodies. HTH Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blatman Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 Chris F. If the engine isn't in yet, I'd ditch the paddle clutch. It'll be a pain in the A*** to use, and it'll wear out quickly. And yes, this discussion has been had before on here. I had it again with someone else this week, who pointed out that paddle clutches aren't used by *anybody* except boy racers. You won't find many race teams using one either. I had the clutch from the Lola MG Le Mans car in my hands a while back. It was multiplate, but it most certainly wasn't a paddle. If they can manage without, so can you. I won't be fitting a paddle to my 235bhp Cosworth sprint car either... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scruffythefirst Posted December 28, 2004 Share Posted December 28, 2004 On mr B's advice I didn't fit a paddle clutch on my 320bhp cossie either - just uprated ap cover and organic plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pheatons3 Posted December 28, 2004 Author Share Posted December 28, 2004 Thanks for all your posts. Terry's engine will now be immigrating to Scotland in the New Year. Hope it's passport is up todate Anyone want to buy a standard 2.0L 16V XE? Terry would like to thank his fan club for all pointing out the bleeding obvious and making me see sense. He swears blind, he doesn't know any of you. Have a Happy New Year! Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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